First

Chapter 48

"Okay, so the flight gets in at 11am and they should be at the Garrison by 1pm?... Perfect." I paused, writing down all the information again. "Awesome. Okay so flight 11, Garrison 1. Sorry, I just want to make sure I got it all right... Thank you so much for calling... Yep, bye."

I hung up the phone and pressed the pad of paper to my heart, as if it would stop its aching.

"Who was that?" my mom asked, walking into the cabin and noticing my stance.

I ripped the piece of paper from the pad and turned to her, smiling from ear to ear, the words I had been wanting to say for months now nearly tearing from my lips. "Jace is coming home," I said after a moment, not quite able to believe it myself. He'd only been gone for eight months this time but it had seemed like a lifetime. Plus I was in the middle of planning a wedding. But now that he was on his way home the last thing I cared about was our wedding. I just wanted my fiancé home.

"Really? That's fantastic," she said, patting my shoulder as she passed by me into the kitchen. "Now you can stop worrying. When is he due home?"

"Two days; this Thursday," I replied, slugging back the rest of my drink. I waited until my mom came back before heading out onto the deck with her.

"So I take it this means you're cutting your trip short?" she asked, settling into a deck chair.

I sat down beside her and sighed; I hadn't thought of that. My mind hadn't gotten any farther than Jace is coming home. I thought for a moment before replying. I had planned on spending the entire month of July out at the cabin with my parents, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and thoughts of Jace.

"Well, I mean... I've only been out here for three days and I was planning on staying for four weeks; it would be a wasted trip if I left. The first of July isn't even until next Monday. I think I might just go pick up Jace and bring him back here. Four weeks away might do him some good." I smiled at the thought. God knew he would need some time to readjust after his tour and out here seemed like the best place to do it.

*****

I barely slept that night or the next, too excited to see Jace. When my alarm finally went off at 8am the day I was due to pick up Jace, I was already wide awake. I had a quick shower and bite to eat before throwing on a pair of short shorts and a tank top and pulling my hair into a bun on the top of my head. At 9:30 I was finally ready to head hit the road. As I got in the car, it suddenly struck me as real that I was going to pick up Jace.

"Okay, be careful on the roads, Kadence," my dad warned. "It's the last week of school; it's going to be crazy."

"I will." I turned to my mom. "We should be back by 4-5 o'clock. I know you were thinking of having people over tonight for drinks but could we maybe postpone for a few days?" I asked. "I just don't want to overwhelm Jace on his first day back. He's going to have a hard enough time adjusting as it is," I said, slipping my sunglasses over my eyes.

"I totally understand," my mom replied. "Go get him and bring him home. Let him know we can't wait to see him."

"I will!" I called as I pulled out of the driveway and onto the gravel road. I honked one last time before I turned onto the road that led to the highway. Once I hit the highway I cranked up the tunes and the drive seemed to pass in a flash. When I arrived in the city, I texted my mom to let her know that I had made it safe and sound. By the time I made it through the city and to our apartment it was 11am; only two more hours until I could see Jace.

I needed to keep myself busy in those interim hours otherwise I would go crazy. So I went through the apartment to pack Jace a bag seeing as he was going to be staying at the cabin for four weeks. I took my time, putting everything I thought he might need or want into a bag. Finally I looked at the clock on my side of the bed and saw that I had just over an hour until Jace would be arriving at the base. Making sure I had everything, I rolled the suitcase over to the door. I ran back to the room and grabbed him an outfit in case he wanted to change on the way home. With one last look around I locked the door and headed back down to my car.